Why We Lost: Not Xenophobism

There is no doubt that some people oppose bilingual education because of xenophobic, anti-immigrant attitudes. But there is no evidence that this was a deciding factor in the recent elections. Huddy and Sears (1990) reported that in their study, anti-immigrant and xenophobic attitudes accounted for less than 26% of the variance in attitudes toward bilingual education.

Even more convincing is the fact that according to polls, attitudes toward bilingual education were once fairly positive and have shifted. As noted above, in polls done before the Unz initiatives, the public was at least moderately in favor of the use of the first language in school. That is no longer so. In my view, we have lost the middle third in the last few years: Now about 2/3 favor English-only (Krashen, 2002). The middle third did not become xenophobes so rapidly. The reasonable conclusion is that most people are not xenophobes and sincerely want all children to succeed.

Why We Lost: Ignorance

I think that the problem is ignorance, not racism. Consider this astounding fact: Some of the same people who approved of the use of the first language in school also supported anti-bilingual education initiatives. The same LA Times poll in which 2/3 supported at least some use of the first language also showed approximately 2/3 support for Prop. 227. Amazingly, the Times did not notice the contradiction.

The LA Times website had data that helps us understand this strange result: They asked those who said they would support Prop. 227 why they would do so: 63% said it was because of the importance of English. Only 9% said it was because they felt bilingual education was not effective and only 6% said it was because they preferred immersion. In other words, supporters of Proposition 227 thought they were supporting English.

My view is that most people have no idea of what bilingual education is. They don't know that bilingual education is based on the principles they would find reasonable. They don't know that bilingual education has been successful in helping children acquire English. In fact, I suspect many do not know that bilingual education even has English as a central goal. Tragically, the profession has not tried very hard to inform them.

The Frustration of Dealing with the Media

One reason not to try, of course, is the well-known difficulty of dealing with the press. While there are some very competent and patient reporters, many are neither. But bilingual educators must keep trying. Yes, it is frustrating to be ignored or misquoted, but if supporters of bilingual education continue to say nothing they will certainly be continued to be ignored and not quoted at all.

There is good evidence that information makes a difference: A. Garcia (2001) found that parents who applied for waivers for their children after 227 were significantly better informed about program options and language acquisition than those who did not.

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